North Carolina vs Clemson Prediction 3/3/26 College Basketball Picks Today

The Clemson Tigers and the North Carolina Tar Heels meet Tuesday in college basketball action at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill. Here’s a North Carolina vs. Clemson prediction. We will look at this from a betting perspective and determine the best North Carolina vs. Clemson pick.

Clemson Tigers Betting Preview

Clemson opened up the season on a pretty smooth 16-3 run over their first 19 games. The Tigers would then lose to NC State before wins over Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, Stanford, and Cal in the next four. Clemson lost to Virginia Tech, Duke, Wake Forest, and Florida State in the next four, then took a win over Louisville. That gives the Tigers a 21-8 overall record through 29 games.

In the Louisville matchup on Saturday the Tigers were up by three points at the break, 38-35. After coming back out onto the floor for the second half, Clemson held a 42-40 advantage the rest of the way, pulling off a nice win on their home court 80-75 in the end. Leading the team in scoring was Jestin Porter with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the victory effort.

North Carolina Tar Heels Betting Preview

Over on the Tar Heels’ side, they were sitting at 14-4 through the 18-game mark back on January 17. North Carolina has only lost two games since then, otherwise dispatching Notre Dame, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Syracuse, Duke, Pitt, Syracuse again, Louisville, and Virginia Tech during that span. In the first 29 games of the year, that makes for a 23-6 overall record in the books for the Tar Heels.

Matched up against Virginia Tech over the weekend, the Tar Heels left the locker room at the break with a 44-44 tied ballgame. North Carolina outscored the Hokies 45-38 the rest of the way, leading to a nice victory on their home court, 89-82, as the game concluded. Henri Veesaar topped the squad with 26 points and seven rebounds, while Seth Trimble added 20 points with four assists.

Why the North Carolina Tar Heels will win

• North Carolina has won each of its last 21 games as an AP-ranked team against a non-AP-ranked team at the Dean E. Smith Center.
• Clemson has lost four of its last five games.
• North Carolina has won the first half in 27 of its last 28 games at the Dean E. Smith Center against non-AP-ranked opponents.

Why the Clemson Tigers will win

• Clemson has won 26 of its last 33 games against conference opponents.
• Clemson has won the first half in three of its last four games against AP-ranked opponents.

North Carolina vs Clemson Prediction

I’ll lean toward the Tar Heels. North Carolina was able to fend off a pretty good Virginia Tech team over the weekend thanks to 55.8 percent shooting and a 30-19 rebounding advantage. UNC did give up 50 percent shooting on defense, though, and coughed up 12 turnovers for 14 Virginia Tech points along the way, so it wasn’t perfect. Still, North Carolina is playing well these days. They’ve got three straight wins in the bag, scoring 77 or more points in each.

As for Clemson, they toppled a great Louisville team in a home win on Saturday thanks to 49 percent shooting and 70.6 percent (24 of 34) at the line. The Tigers did get out-rebounded 33-30, though, and outscored in the paint 36-28 along the way. Clemson really needed the win (and confidence boost) after four straight losses. They may give UNC a tight game, even on the road.